History Hit Podcasts

King Phillip's War

This is one of the deadliest conflicts in North American History. But who was King Philip? What started the war? And how did it change...

The Rise and Fall of Venice

Venice was the impossible city that rose from mudflats to become a medieval superpower. Venice dominated Mediterranean trade through its vast...

Inside the Egyptian Underworld

For the Ancient Egyptians, death marked the beginning of a new chapter: a journey through a shadowy realm of trials, monsters, and divine...

Royal Favourites: Queen Anne & Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough

How did Sarah Churchill become the most powerful woman in Queen Anne’s court? What happens when a royal friendship turns into a political...

The Other Humans: Why We Survived?

For most of human history, we were not alone. Human evolution was shaped by multiple human species living side by side, from Neanderthals in...

How to Get Cancelled as a Medieval Mistress

What do you have to do wrong to be specifically named in a law? In the 14th Century, one of the mistresses of King Edward III found out. So who...

After Agincourt: Henry V's French Campaigns

What happened after the Battle of Agincourt? How did Henry V's victory turn into a seven-year struggle of sieges, diplomacy, ambition, murder and...

400 Year Old Artist's Dark Revenge

Artemisia Gentileschi's paintings personify female rage against men. She paints women beheading men, hammering nails into their skulls,...

Annexation of Alaska

In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal that reshaped the map of North America... but what did that moment mean for the...

What If Alexander Fought Rome?

Rome vs Alexander. It's a counterfactual of suitably epic proportions, fit for movie theatres and sprawling strategy video games. What would've...

The Seven Deadly Sins

Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath! You might be surprised to learn the true history of the Seven Deadly Sins doesn't start in the...

Louis XIV: Sun King and Propagandist

How did Louis XIV use his day-to-day life, especially his marriage, to help create the mythology of the Sun King as semi-divine, radiant and...

BONUS: Hear a chapter of Maddy's new book, Hoax

Hear a chapter of Maddy's new book, "Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment". It's out now! It's the story of three women and their...

A History of Homophobia

Has there ever been a time when homophobia did not exist? And what causes it to rise and fall?

Kate is joined by Dr. Harry Tanner, author of...

Matilda of Canossa: Medieval Italy's Iron Countess

What if one medieval woman could outwit emperors, shape popes, and force Henry IV to stand barefoot in the snow?

Dr. Katherine Harvey joins...

The Quaker Who Put Penn in Pennsylvania

From being locked up in the Tower of London to founding the 5th most populous state in the country, and the city at the heart of the Revolution,...

Investigating the Nazi Massacre at Rumbula

An underground Nazi weapons factory and stash of 77-year-old Denazification files. What is it really like to discover that your grandfather was a...

Royal Favourites: James I and George Villiers

How did a relatively humble gentleman become the most powerful man in Stuart England?

Few figures embodied the glamour and instability of...

Human Sacrifice In The Aztec Empire

When you think of the Aztec Empire, what do you picture? Human sacrifice?

In today's episode, Anthony is joined by Aztec expert Dr. Caroline...

The Real Armageddon

Armageddon is more than just a biblical prophecy hailing the end of days. It is a real place: Megiddo, an ancient city that for thousands of years...

Battle of the Eras: Medieval vs Early Modern

What if the medieval world did not end with a bang, but with a messy argument over who gets to define history itself? Matt Lewis spars with Not...